Victim’s partner wanted to settle scores with him and the policeman from Navi Mumbai readily agreed to be a part of the plot to make a quick buck
Car used by Misal to commit the crime. He had used a fake number plate, while two more such registration plates were found in the vehicle. Pics/Hanif Patel
The Bhayander police have arrested six men, including a cop deployed at Navi Mumbai police headquarters and a journalist attached to a local newspaper, on the charge of kidnapping and extortion. The crime was allegedly committed at the behest of an RTI activist and drug peddler, who wanted to settle scores with his partner. Police Naik Babasaheb Dinkar Misal and his three associates kidnapped drug peddler Sameer Pandurang Sakpal and his agent to extort Rs 12 lakh, said the police.
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“Misal was contacted by RTI activist Sunil Kadam, who knew that Sakpal peddled ganja and cough up money easily,” said an officer from Navghar police. On August 14, Misal took a four-wheeler, changed its number plate and reached Bhayandar along with Navi Mumbai residents Abrar Ali, Oliver and Sunil Shinde. He had been informed that Sakpal sold drugs in Bhayandar.
Babasaheb Dinkar Misal
Misal, who was in constant touch with Kadam on phone, sent the latter’s agent Bunty thrice to purchase drugs from Sakpal. “Now, Misal flanked by his three associates entered the den of Sakpal, flashed his police identity card to portray that he has been arrested for selling drugs,” said the police.
The cop and his men bundled Sakpal and Bunty into the car and fled. “Misal was driving the car which was followed by his other associate Ashok who was in an autorickshaw,” said the officer.
Arrested local journalist Mishra
“The kidnappers stopped near Fountain junction and told Sakpal that an official order has been passed to kill him in an encounter, and he would have to cough up Rs 12 lakh cash if he wanted to save himself. They had placed a pistol on Sakpal’s temple,” said the officer.
Sakpal agreed to pay Rs 2.5 lakh and called his friend Parmesh Yadav to collect the money from his father. One of the kidnappers told Yadav that ‘Sakpal had been taken into custody by “crime branch officer Raut”.
It was around 4 am on August 15 and the kidnappers had been waiting in the car near Fountain. “After collecting Rs 2.5 lakh from Sakpal’s father, Yadav shared the matter with a local journalist Ashok Mishra. When Mishra called a crime branch officer named Raut attached to MBVV police, he was totally blank about the development,” said the officer.
The real crime branch officer accompanied Mishra and Yadav. The trio reached Fountain junction where Misal and his men were waiting for the money.
As Raut knocked on the window of the vehicle, Misal got alarmed and sped off. While he headed towards Mira Road, his associate tailed him in an auto. Misal thought that he was being chased by the police. He snatched Sakpal’s cellphone, Rs 50,000 cash and a gold pendant and pushed out him and Bunty from the running car.
Navghar police station in-charge Milind Desai said they registered a case the following day on a complaint by Sakpal. Their police chief Sadanand Date was apprised of the case.
“We formed three teams including PI Prakash Masal, PSI Sandeep Ohal, API Yogesh Kale, API Bhaskar Pulli and detection staff Ravindra Shaikh, Sandeep Jadhav and others,” said the officer.
The cops tracked down the car’s registration number after scanning footage of about 35 CCTV cameras. It turned out to be a car owned by a banker who had put its photos on an online marketplace to sell. He had used the same tactic for the colour of the car. The cops found two fake number plates from the car.
The teams then tracked down Misal with the help of their informants.
Navi Mumbai police chief Bipin Kumar Singh said, “We are waiting for the case report from MBVV police before initiating action against him [Misal], but we have learnt that in past, too, Misal was booked in two cases including one for assaulting his senior.” He said Misal had faced departmental probes earlier. “Required legal action will be taken against him as he has been arrested in a very serious case,” Singh told mid-day.
Misal’s associates Subhash Mane, Yadav, Mishra, Shinde and Ali have been arrested, while Kadam is absconding.
Aug 14-15
When Misal and his men kidnapped Sakpal
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